Saturday, March 29, 2014

Girl at the End of the World by Elizabeth Esther

Girl at the End of the World is a true story about the life of the author Elizabeth Esther. Elizabeth grew up in a fundamentalist church founded by her grandfather. This church was a Christian church but it had many barbarian strict rules instigated by her grandfather or grandmother. In this fundamentalist church children were strongly punished for minor or even imaginary infractions using beatings or emotional deprivation. These were then covered up to the outside world by codes of silence. Elizabeth starts the book at the age of 9 with her beginnings into public aposyletizing in her community with her parents watching close by for support and encouragement. She always felt and believed that her parents loved her through all the abuse and emotional anxiety that she felt in her growing up years. Her parents believed as did the entire church that the daily spankings were needed in order to "break the will" of the child, confess their sins, and surrender to Jesus. Elizabeth tells of her life through the years in the church, through her marriage and finally through the times of she and her husband, Matt's, break with the church and then finally to her finding physical and emotional healing in adulthood.

This heartbreaking story will just bring you to tears at times and to the edge of your seat at times just wanting little Elizabeth to have the strength to leave and get the help that she so desperately needed. I was so afraid that someone would hurt her so unspeakably that she would not be able to get help. I at no time felt that her parents did not love her but just were brainwashed themselves. Elizabeth though honest never writes punitively about those who so awfully abused her. This would be good reading for any adult but should be careful about allowing too young of a child to read. This is difficult reading emotionally though no abuse is told too graphically. Very good read. Congratulations on living the life and making it though to the other side so well. Thank you Elizabeth for having the courage to not only write the book but to change your life so that your children could have better.